Tengella Dahl, 1901

Leister, Matthew, Mallis, Rachael & Miller, Kelly, 2013, The male of Tengella perfuga Dahl, 1901 with re-description of the female and comparisons with T. radiata (Kulczynski, 1909) (Araneae: Tengellidae), Zootaxa 3709 (2), pp. 185-199 : 187

Tengella Dahl, 1901

Tengella Dahl, 1901 ; type species = Tengella perfuga Dahl, 1901 .

Metafecenia F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902 ; type species = Metafecenia albolineata F. O. Pickard-Cambridge , synonymy by Lehtinen, 1967. Type species: Tengella perfuga Dahl, 1901 , by original designation.

Diagnosis. Tengella differ from other New World Tengellidae , as well as the Old World genus Austrotengella Raven, 2012 , in having (1) a bipartite cribellum and calamistrum ( Figs. 2A, C ), (2) four pairs of ventral spines on tibiae I and II, and (3) three prolateral and four retrolateral teeth on the chelicerae ( Wolff 1977; Platnick 2009). Two additional Old World tengellids are cribellate, but easily distinguished from Tengella for the same characters as above. Wiltona Koçak & Kemal, 2008 , differs due to the presence of a small, whole cribellum, as well as heavily reduced use of cribellate silk due to active foraging as adults ( Forster & Wilton 1973, Forster & Forster 1999). Calamistrula Dahl, 1901 , differs by the loss of the cribellum and calamistrum in adulthood ( Lehtinen 1967).

Figures

FIGURES 2 A – C. Tengella perfuga. A, B. Posterior tip of abdomen showing cribellum, ventral view; A. male; B, female; C. Metatarsus IV showing calamistrum, lateral view; male top; female bottom.